The sign “Lundin Learning Center” in the new TechWorks location in the Stenstrom Center brought back memories:. I wondered how many noticed it or knew the background? The memories start with the beginnings of the EIGERlab. A meeting was convened by the visionary Jon Lundin and Don Williams, then Chief Operating Officer at Rock Valley College and moderated by Keith Irons, a management consultant and former executive of Barber Colman. A group from industry, academia and government was brought together and discussed how to improve...

Rockford University, in conjunction with Korea Economic Institute of America and Rockford Area Economic Development Council presents an exciting and informative panel of speakers discussing economic, social, and political challenges in Russia, Korea, Japan and China and the impact on America. Is Russia trying to restore its influence? What is the cause and effect of China’s lowest growth in 25 years? Can the Japanese get their economy restarted? Are there changing alliances among Russia and China; South Korea and China; North Korea and...

It’s hard to believe that this year’s event will be the 9th annual FastPitch Competition! It will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at NIU-Rockford and is open to the public at 5:00 PM. Over the past eight years, we’ve had an average of 48 people compete annually; totaling nearly 400 presenters. Following are comments from our 2014 FastPitch Competition winners. Tracie Burress, our first place winner, said, “Competing in the EIGERlab’s FastPitch Competition has been truly invaluable to every aspect of my SockTABs business. When I first...

Rock Valley College (RVC) and the Rockford Area Economic Development Council (RAEDC) will host a welcome event at the TechWorks program located at RVC’s Stenstrom Center for Career Education. TechWorks is a fast-track manufacturing training program that provides the skills and credentials needed to qualify for CNC machine operator and assembly jobs in high demand in the Rockford Region. The Business and Professional Institute of RVC oversees the program. The recent TechWorks partnership between RVC and RAEDC has provided the opportunity...

Student enrollment in our Community Colleges is a necessary part of keeping the college viable. Given the current pressures on Equalized Assessed Values (EAV) that drive in local tax dollars, and some uncertainty over State funding, getting more students attending community college is a major objective that Rock Valley College faces. It has seen decreasing enrollments since 2010. We’re not alone though. State-wide, enrollments in the 48 Illinois Community Colleges has decreased by 11.1% in Headcount and 13.1% in Full Time Equivalents...

As the RVC Board of Trustees embarks on its mission to repurpose the Stenstrom Center for Career Education to best meet the needs of our community employers, you are invited to share in preliminary but important discussions. This meeting will include a Trustee, members of RVC faculty and administration, and our visioning consultant for the project, OPN Architects. Please RSVP as indicated below and advise if you or a designee will be joining us to discuss your needs in the industry and how RVC can best serve our students in that capacity at...

Rock Valley College will host the third in a series of Community Conversations on Thursday, March 12, 6:00-7:30 p.m., at the Community Building in Belvidere (111 W. 1st Street, Belvidere, IL 61008). As part of this ongoing series, the event will feature an update on Rock Valley College followed by a small-group breakout discussion where attendees will provide important feedback to help RVC better serve the residents of its region. At the event you will hear “What everyone should know about RVC” from President Mike Mastroianni....